The all-new CR250R broke ground by employing a road racing inspired twin-spar perimeter alloy frame and bolting it to the winningest power plant in motocross history. In the 80 camp, the little Honda adopted a Dunlop K490/K695 tire combo and BNG. It was great for pros, but most mere mortals preferred the broad and easy to use RM125’s snappy delivery. That's Jeremy McGrath, on the #125 Honda CR125, in one of that summer's outdoor nationals. Join millions of people using Oodle to find unique used motorcycles, used roadbikes, used dirt bikes, scooters, and mopeds for sale. ... Riders under pressure at Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Indianapolis Round 5 News [ February 4, ... 1990 – 1999 Honda Motorcycle Guides – 1999 Honda Motorcycle Model Guide In all, the quietly determined Michigan rider tallied 37 national wins combining victories in AMA Supercross as well as AMA 250cc and 500cc motocross. You can also sell or buy these motorcycles through our efficient Bikez.biz Free Motorcycle Classifieds. Motorcycle catalog with all 1990 models. Juggling spring rates and oil level did little to alleviate their poor action. There was an annoying push to the front end and a dead feel in the rough. As one would expect, these minor motor changes did little to alter the CR’s power personality. While the width of the tubing was increased, the new frame maintained the same somewhat controversial geometry of 1994. While not necessarily faster than 1991, it was certainly more exciting to ride. Power was somewhat lacking down low, before ripping into a blistering midrange blast. That massively cool frame turned out to be about 45% too massive and imparted a harsh feel that transmitted every bump and vibration to the rider. A women's national championship series was introduced in 1996. Ironically, about the only thing that was not new on the machine was the motor. New stiffer fork springs and revised damping aimed to keep them up in the stroke and provide better feel. The new stiffer spring rates and revised damping kept the bike from crashing to the stops over every gum wrapper and the softer seat and rubber-mounted bars toned down the vibration and tailbone pain a bit. 1997 Honda CR500R: Look, a white rear fender! Both received the Nuclear Red plastic and white tank of the 250, and all three full-sized machines adopted new front braking systems that improved power and feel. All three bikes also got a longer location bolt for the air filter and a switch to white for the number plates. Suddenly KTMs were mint green, Yamahas were pink and Suzukis were every color in the kaleidoscope. The motor remained devoid of any exhaust gismos, but still produced one of the most potent powerbands on the track. In addition to the CR125-specific changes, all the CRs received new more “orangey” red plastic (still called Nuclear Red, but less pink than 1992), new graphics and a smoother whirlpool-style throttle. The Kayaba shock was not much better and suffered from the same “dead” feeling as the 250. New forks for all the big bikes featured an Aluminite coating to reduce oil contamination (a major problem in 1990) and larger-diameter cartridge units to improve damping. After several decades of fairly conservative colors and graphics, the entire motocross industry seemed to simultaneously flip their collective wigs. With the new carburetor, the bike liked to load up and sputter down low, before cleaning out in an explosion of thrust in the midrange. What do you think of the 2021 CBR500R now available in Pearl White. Honda also cranked up their national racing team efforts at a crazed pace during this time frame, making instant legends out of numerous riders. Even though it was supposed to have the same geometry as the beloved 1993, it handled more like a ’96 CR with an underinflated front tire. The motor, chassis and bodywork were unchanged (with the exception of the white shrouds and Tigger graphics), offering the same fit and feel as the year before. Both retained the steel frames of 1996 and in the case of the 500, motored on into 1997 with only cosmetic updates. 2002: Ricky Carmichael (CR250R) Images are copyright but free for editorial use. Out back, the situation was just as bad and the new KYB damper did the same hang-down, bang around and kick-like-a-mule dance as the year before. On the suspension front, the new Showa forks and shock proved once again to be a disappointment. The 1990 machine got all-new body work, a white frame and upgrades in suspension. In part three of our Honda Motocross history recap, we are going to focus on models from 1990 through 1999. In addition to the new look and new suspension, there were some other important changes on tap for 1995. Probably the least changed part of the ’97 CR250R was the motor itself. 1990 Honda RC30 Review | The Before Machines. 1980: Chuck Sun (RC500) Even worse, it seemed to make the headshake problem worse, not better. Out back, a new shock actually shortened the stroke for ’99 (Remember that awesome longer shock to provide more plushness in 1998? A new steering head was 4mm larger in diameter and new clamps widened the fork mountings. 1983: David Bailey (CR250R) 1992: Jeff Stanton (CR250R) In order to boost torque, Honda spec’d an all-new cylinder, head and porting. The new angles and weight distribution muted some of that magic Honda turning response and the bike was no longer the king of the inside line. After several years of speculation and dozens of prototypes, Big Red finally took the wraps off the first production motocross machine to use an aluminum alloy frame. The forks hammered your wrists in the whoops and the shock kicked your tail in the stutters. The same could not be said of the CR250R’s front suspension, which continued to be an exercise in futility. It remained smooth down low, brawny in the midrange and quasar on top. The 1997 season was a big one for Honda. A clean-sheet design, the new bike featured an all-new motor for the first time since 1986. In addition to the fancier ignition, the ’99 CR125R received an upgrade to carbon fiber for the reeds, new jetting and a larger motor mount bolt. 1999 Honda CR500R: Still big, still bad and in many ways, the best CR in the Honda stable. Additional gusseting in the frame downtube and a longer and stronger swingarm were also added to further refine the red tiddler’s handling. It lacked the hard hit of the KX, but made up for it by pulling and pulling and pulling. On the suspension front, Honda once again juggled fork taper size and damping in an effort to dial in some plushness. Laps 1 DAVID SADOWSKI BUFORD GA YAMAHA 25 57 2 RANDY RENFROW… 1996 Honda CR500R: New beefier forks and works-style shock were a welcome addition to the mighty 500 in 1996. While all those changes were not earth shattering, they added up to a much-improved machine. Other than a new chain roller and some factory–replica graphics, the rest of the CR250R was basically unchanged for 1998. Power was squarely focused toward the upper end of the powerband and the Honda tiddler required skill to keep it at full boil. Copyright 2021 PulpMX. Ken Roczen 94 View profile . While the motor remained unchanged, it continued to be one of the fastest (and most challenging) mini motors in the class. 1990 Honda CR125R: An all-new HPP motor for the 125 boosted power for 1990. For 1995, it did get the new purple plastic, wider pegs and KYB suspension, but no new bodywork or motor changes. In the 250 division, the CR250R returned with only minor changes for 1998. In 1990, Honda made a drastic change to the look of all the CRs with a move back to the orange-red of ’83 through ’87. It hammered and pounded into bumps the old bike floated over. 1991 Honda CR250R: What runs like a cheetah, looks like a tiger and rides like a donkey. The new settings were a tiny bit better than 1990, but only enough to raise it from abysmal to downright awful. New porting lowered all the ports slightly and a new expansion chamber decreased volume. While composed of an all-new material, Honda’s designers tried to keep the familiar CR250R feel by designing the new chassis to utilize the same geometry as the beloved 1993 CR250R. Both the 125 and 500 adopted the larger airbox and streamlined look of the 250, while only the 125 inherited the revamped tank and shrouds of the 250. Similar to the much-heralded forks found on the ’94-’95 Suzuki RM250, these units once again aimed to take a bite out of Honda’s infamous mid-stroke harshness. 1993 Honda CR250R: McGrath’s personal favorite. The new 45mm Showa inverted forks and Showa shock worked marginally better than the year before, but remained the worst in the class by a wide margin. Name Seasons World Championships National Championships Races Wins Alex Salvini - - - - - Donny Schmit: 1987-1995 125cc- 1990, 250cc- 1992 AMA 125cc West SX - 1986 : 15 Fritz Schneider There was also a new airbox, airboot, reed-valve and ignition. The new semi-double-cradle frame featured larger-diameter tubing throughout for increased strength and revised geometry to improve handling. The addition of stiffer springs out of the crate helped with the bottoming, but they continued to be harsh and less forgiving than the competition. The new purple seat was also narrower at the tank and no longer taller than the one found on the CR250R. The slightly shorter wheelbase and improved throttle response caused by the change in gearing helped the bike snap around turns and the new forks and revised shock actually absorbed bumps for once. By 1995, Honda’s CR80R was starting to look a bit long in the tooth. For Supercross, the forks worked well, but for anything resembling real motocross, they were too stiff and unforgiving. With very few other changes for ‘91, the 500 remained very much the same bike it was in 1990. The new settings in the forks returned the same old results and the trick multi-adjuster shock only provided more ways to get hammered in the rear. The big Honda news for 1992 was a total redesign for the CR250R. Predictably, the stiff fork and shock of the 250 actually worked better on the powerful and heavy 500 and most people thought it was the biggest improvement to the 500 in four years. That endless pull that had been the CR’s stock-in-trade for a decade was completely missing. The chassis continued to flummox riders with its unenviable combination of cranky steering and nightmarish headshake. In the 250 division, Honda ditched the 43mm KYBs of ’95 in favor of an all-new 46mm unit pilfered off of the KX250. On the CR125R and CR500R, the changes were far more minimal for 1992. This new chassis offered a longer wheelbase and slacker steering angle in hopes of slowing down the CR’s high-speed oscillations. All-new in 1993, the CR125R received relatively minor upgrades for 1994. The motor remained the fastest in the class with a strong hit and endless top-end pull. 1989: Jeff Stanton (CR250R) It was the best example in motorcycle history of guessing right. Despite some bad luck in the previous… read more. 1990: This was a big cosmetic change for the Honda, but it should be pointed out that massive redesigns became less frequent in this era. The new intake and hotter ignition gave the bike a slight bump in low-end torque, but the bike continued to do its best work from the midrange on up. It also had the best brakes, clutch and build quality in the class. A totally new cylinder, revamped power valve, reworked head and redesigned reed-valve highlighted the list of changes for 1999. Lastly, the CR250R received a much-needed set of rubber-mounted bar mounts and a switch to the same “more butt-friendly” seat foam the 125 received. The longer wheelbase and less-aggressive steering geometry did lessen some of the CR’s more frightening traits. The bike buzzed, tingled and generally pounded you to a pulp. Just as it had done on the 250, the new frame angles muted the CR’s famous turning prowess. In case you missed part one or two, here are links to them for your reading pleasure. Rennie is about half a foot too tall for the RC but, even so, Honda’s gem truly flatters the rider. Nevertheless, the first models that were produced did indeed come along during the 1990s and are still in production today as well. Even worse, the jetting was now screwed up. The 125 received a new frame that beefed up all the tubing and repositioned the steering head to provide better stability. On the 250, the changes were more extensive. Honda anticipated the demand perfectly. All Rights Reserved. In the rear, the 250 also adopted the high/low adjust-o-matic shock of the 125 and added a few minor ergonomic details to increase comfort in the slightly cramped rider compartment. 1999 Honda CR125R: The feel of a 250, the vibration of a 500 and the power of an 80. A few areas offered improvement, while others suffered major setbacks. While available for a decade in other markets, this was the first appearance in America for a big-wheeled Honda mini. The new shock turned out to be much better and most riders found it could be dialed in to their liking. After more strong performances on both Honda and Yamaha, he switched to the World Superbike Championship with Ducati, going on to win the 1990 title as well as finishing second in 1991 and 1992. Apparently, it did not matter what brand of components Honda actually bolted to their bike, they were going to end up with the same dismal performance regardless. 1982: Darrel Schultz (RC500) discontinued the 500 cc class after the 1993 season. This fork had received many accolades on the Kawasaki, so there were high hopes this might be the magic bullet the front of the CR sorely needed. Compared to the already sharp ’91, the ’92 felt like a 125 in the corners. Honda has teamed up with REVER to help you get the most out of every ride. The motor changes, though minor, resulted in a significant change in performance. Early on, Honda had experimented with some more conventional alloy frame designs, but decided in the end to go with the perimeter configuration because of its immense torsional strength. 1989: Jeff Stanton (CR250R) Attempts at softening the harsh feel of the bike resulted in settings that were too soft front and rear. The Honda CR125M Elsinore. After the grim performance of the Showa units in 1993, this was looked on by most as a welcome change. While the KYBs of the competition had regularly trounced the Showas on the CR250, the 125’s futility had proven the problem probably lay with Honda’s testers, not with the component’s manufacturers. Poorly set up and harsh, they continued Honda’s five-year string of last-place suspension finishes. Regardless of the whether it was the frame or the motor that was the problem, the end result was a CR125R that was incapable of outrunning a CR80R to the first turn. As one would expect with such minor changes, the 1998 CR250R offered basically the same love-it-or-hate-it package as the year before. The Honda gave up a full horsepower to the Yamaha at peak and was exponentially harder to keep in the meat of the power. 1995 Honda CR250R: New suspension, same results. Stanton rode for Honda for the bulk of his career, and earned all of his titles on Hondas. All these changes were aimed at beefing up the CR’s lacking low-end and making the motor easier to ride. It did not pull quite as far as the CR on top, but by that time, the YZ was gone. As in 1992, the suspension continued to be the CR250R’s Achilles heel and the new components proved only marginally better in the rear and actually worse up front. People wanted plushness and torque and the KX250 had that in spades. A reworked chassis further tightened turning and was paired with the interesting combination of a Showa fork and Kayaba shock. Motor changes were limited to a .7mm narrower exhaust port, a revised shift fork and change to digital control for the ignition. Both the fork and shock blew through the travel and hammered to the stops on hard hits. Other than that, it was down to a new air filter cage and BNG for the Jolly Red Giant. ... Riders under pressure at Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Indianapolis Round 5 News [ February 4, ... 1990 – 1999 Honda Motorcycle Guides – 1999 Honda Motorcycle Model Guide Honda AMA 450/250 Supercross Champions  The new motor ended up accomplishing none of Honda’s performance goals, while also ruining its one great asset. the new graphics that were actually bold for once. In conjunction with these less-than-earth-shattering motor mods, Honda dialed up a change in fork offset, stiffer fork springs, and new valving with a 2mm increase in travel. While the new motor specs improved the CR’s torque slightly, the new piston design proved fragile and many riders switched back to the domed piston and head of 1991. 1991 Honda CR125R: New bodywork and a safari paint job for the 125. On the 250, all-new bodywork smoothed the lines and improved ergonomics, while an all-new motor for the 125 boosted the ponies on the power-monger of the ’89 125 class. While a switch to Kayaba for the rear suspension on the 250 and 500 (the 125 already used a KYB damper in 1990) gave some hope that the 250’s ten-year run of sup-par outings might finally be at an end. Previous CR250 forks had been too softly sprung, prone to bottoming and harsh. Lastly, the spring rate was adjusted on the power valve to open later for a less-abrupt transition into the meat of the power. In 1993, the CR250R had proved a handful for some. A reshaped HPP valve and all-new exhaust system finished off the top end, while a switch to a five-speedtransmission was requisitioned so each gear could be increased in size for better durability. 1 March 11, 1990 Daytona Beach, FL Finish First Last City State Mach. 1997 Honda CR250R: The cutting edge cuts both ways. This seemed to be a side effect of the overbuilt frame and no amount of re-valving and dial spinning completely eliminated it. In the case of the Expert, a longer alloy swingarm was also added to complement the larger 19” front and 16” rear wheels. Maybe most significant of all the changes, however, was a switch in seat foam density from rock hard to merely butt-bruising. They make mopeds and light motorcycles, motorcycle models, off-road models, dual-purpose models, motocross models, scooters, racing models, and all-terrain vehicles. After 23-years of racing AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross, the Factory Connection team, better known in recent years as the Geico Honda team, has announced their departure from professional racing. First up on the fail list was the new motor; even with all the changes, that sought-after low-end power never really materialized. The demise of the 500 National class in 1993 and the overall migration of buyers to smaller and less-intimidating machines meant it was unlikely we were ever going to see a power valve equipped ultra-trick Open class Honda. 1984: David Bailey (RC500) They were undersprung, underdamped, and prone to tooth-rattling metal-to-metal clanks on hard impacts. It was called the Model D. Today, Honda produces a broad array of motorcycles of every class. 1995 Honda CR125R: Purple is the new black. A new motor was also dialed up to better face the threat of Yamaha’s omnipotent YZ125. Curiously, the V4 Honda concept was not exactly covered in glory by the time the RC30 broke cover. 2013: Eli Tomac (CRF250R), Honda AMA 250/125 Supercross Regional Champions, 1987: Rick Johnson (CR500R) Riding for Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha, he stood on a BSB podium on 12 occasions but sadly lost his life at the Isle of Man TT in 2014. As one would expect, these changes did little to alter the overall personality of Honda’s 125. Probably the biggest of these changes was a switch to Kayaba forks. MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS. On the 80, updates were limited to the new plastic color, the deletion of the kickstand and BNG. Head pipe diameter was also increased to once again improve chassis stiffness. In the motor department, Honda stood pat for ’98 and offered the same basic package as ‘97. On the new motor, Honda finally ditched their ATAC (Automatic Torque Amplification Chamber) exhaust valve in favor of a true-to-life variable exhaust port. Once cleaned out, it pulled like a Saturn rocket, but only for a short span. 1984: Johnny O’Mara (CR250R) 2014: AMA Pro Motocross Rookie of the Year . Honda X-Eleven. With the CR500R, Honda stuck to only minor mods after a major redesign in 1989. Fast guys lamented its lack of top-end, slow guys had trouble with its monster hit, and everyone hated its finicky jetting. A new alloy chassis was crafted that was 50% stronger than 1996, while also being 15% less rigid than the one found on the CR250R. This, combined with the new sleeker bodywork made the CR an absolute scalpel in the turns. Both machines shared an all-new frame that retained the outgoing bike’s geometry, but increased rigidity by 40%. 1992: Jeff Stanton (CR250R) 1995: Jeremy McGrath (CR250R) As it turned out, the switch to KYB forks only served to provide false hope to those wishing for a decent set of Honda forks. Don't miss what's happening in your neighborhood. 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Short span graphics, the 250 ’ s share of the 500 cc class after the grim of.